Opponents Say Gejdenson Should Detail Bad Checks

Two Republican challengers Wednesday called on U.S. Rep. Sam Gejdenson, D-2nd District, to provide full details about his role in the check-bouncing scandal rocking the U.S. House of Representatives.

In separate statements, state Rep. Glenn Arthur, R-Ledyard, and state Sen. Edward W. Munster, R-Haddam, challenged Gejdenson to disclose how many checks he bounced and when, their total value and whether he has paid any interest or penalties.

"Do the right thing, and tell the whole truth," Arthur said in a press conference at the state Capitol. "We, the people, demand to know -- and we will be here every day until you clear the air on this troubling matter."

Munster, who sent a letter to the chairman of the House ethics committee calling for the names of all current and former House members who wrote overdrafts at the now-defunct House bank, said anything less than full disclosure would cut into Congress' credibility.

"Apparently, there are members of Congress who see themselves as above the rest of us and don't think they should have to live by the same rules as the citizens they represent," Munster said. "We should know which members are abusing the public trust."

Arthur and Munster, the only two declared candidates for the GOP nomination to oppose Gejdenson, blasted the incumbent for his statement last week that the contents of his bank account are a private matter.

"This clearly is not a private matter," Arthur said. "It is a matter of public trust. We need and deserve to know the whole story."

Gejdenson said Friday he had written about a dozen bad checks in 1990 but declined to disclose the amounts or make any other information available.

A spokeswoman reiterated those comments Wednesday.

Gejdenson said last week he would support an ethics committee recommendation to disclose the names of 19 current and five former House members considered the worst abusers of the bank.

The committee defined abusers as those whose bad checks exceeded their next paycheck at least 20 percent of the time during